The Contracted Stripper

The tension in the room was so thick it felt as though it could suffocate them all. Mrs. Rose stood frozen, her heart hammering against her chest as her eyes darted from Jessica to Kendrick and then to her children.

Her worst nightmare was unraveling before her eyes, and there was no escape. Kendrick, too, was motionless, his face a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

His eyes met Jessica’s, and a flood of memories rushed back-memories he had buried for years. He tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat.

“Je… Jessica?” Kendrick’s voice was barely above a whisper, his shock palpable. Ryan, standing by his father’s bedside, turned to Kendrick, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Dad, do you know her?”Jessica stood tall, her eyes blazing with the fire of long-buried resentment. She ignored Ryan’s question and locked eyes with Mrs. Rose, whose face was now dripping with cold sweat. Rose’s hands trembled as she took a step backward, her composure slipping with every second.

“No… no, it can’t be. Jessica?” Rose’s voice was thin, almost pleading, as if she hoped this was some twisted illusion.

Kendrick bent his head, staring at the floor in disbelief. How had it come to this? His past, once hidden so carefully, now stood in front of him, demanding acknowledgment.

“Surprised?” Jessica’s voice cut through the silence like a blade.

“You thought I was dead, didn’t you? After you sent your men to end my life.”Kendrick’s head snapped up at her words. “What?” he gasped, his confusion turning to shock.

His eyes flicked from Jessica to Rose, his mind reeling. Jessica took a step closer to Kendrick, her gaze hardening. “Yes, Kendrick. Your beloved wife here sent some men after me to kill me when I left your house all those years ago. Do you want to know why? Because she found out I knew about her little secret affair with Parker, your best friend.

“The room fell silent. The only sound was the faint beeping of the heart monitor attached to Kendrick, each beep sounding like a countdown to a final reckoning. Mrs. Rose’s face contorted with fury as she took a step forward, her voice rising in a sharp, desperate tone.

“Oh, shut up, you swine!” Rose barked, her voice trembling. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”But before she could say more, Ivy stepped forward, her eyes blazing with anger. “I think you should be the one to shut up-not my mother.”

The words hung in the air like a dagger poised to strike. Mrs. Rose’s mouth fell open, her eyes wide in shock as she turned to Ivy. “How dare you?” she spat, her voice quivering. “What is that supposed to mean? What do you mean, ‘your mother’?”

Ivy’s face was a mask of calm, but her words were sharp, cutting through the tension with precision. “You’re not my mother, Rose. You have no right to talk to me like that.”

Kendrick, still sitting on the hospital bed, stared at Ivy in confusion, his mind struggling to process the whirlwind of revelations.

“And what… what does that mean, Ivy?” His voice was weak, filled with both fear and desperation.

Ivy crossed her arms, her eyes never leaving Rose’s. “I think you know the answer to that, Dad,” she said coldly.

Kendrick turned to Ryan, who had remained silent, but the look on his son’s face told him everything he needed to know. His heart sank.”Dad, we know the truth,” Ryan finally spoke, his voice steady but filled with a quiet fury.

“We know about Mom and her affair with Dr. Parker. We know she’s been lying to you for years. And we know about you and Mrs. Jessica.”

Kendrick’s face turned pale, his eyes wide in disbelief. “Ryan… what are you saying?”Ryan took a deep breath, steeling himself.

“We know you had an affair with Jessica. We know you got her pregnant and threw her out of the house when Mom framed her up.”

The weight of the truth slammed into Kendrick like a sledgehammer. He stared at Jessica, the woman he had betrayed, and then at his children, the ones who had been caught in the crossfire of lies and deceit.

Mrs. Rose’s face twisted with rage, her calm demeanor shattering. “This is ridiculous!” she screamed, her voice shrill. “You’re all delusional! Kendrick, don’t listen to them. They don’t know what they’re talking about!”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

But Kendrick wasn’t listening to Rose. His mind was spinning, the weight of his actions crushing him. “I threw her out,” he whispered to himself, his voice hollow. “I threw her out… and I didn’t even know…”Jessica’s face softened for a moment, a flicker of the love she had once felt for Kendrick passing through her eyes.

But it was quickly replaced by the bitterness of years spent in the shadows.”You threw me out,” Jessica said, her voice calm but filled with pain.

“You abandoned me. And you abandoned our children.”

“Children?” Kendrick repeated, his voice barely audible. “What… what do you mean, children?”Ivy stepped forward, standing next to Jessica. “I’m not Rose’s daughter,” she said bluntly, her voice unwavering. “I’m Jessica’s. And so is Iris.”

Kendrick’s heart stopped. “What?” He looked between Ivy and Jessica, his mind struggling to comprehend the enormity of what he was hearing.

“No… that can’t be. That’s impossible, I thought we were lying when you told me you had twins.”

“It’s true,” Jessica said quietly. “Rose took Ivy from me. She raised her as her own, while I was left with nothing. And Iris… Iris grew up never knowing who her real father was.”Kendrick’s hands began to tremble. “No… this can’t be…”

“It’s the truth, Kendrick,” Jessica continued. “And now you’re going to face the consequences of your actions. You’re going to face the truth, whether you like it or not.”

Mrs. Rose, her face flushed with anger, took a step forward, her hands balled into fists. “I’ve had enough of this!” she screamed. “Kendrick, don’t listen to them! They’re trying to manipulate you. They want to tear our family apart!”

But Kendrick didn’t respond. He couldn’t. He felt as though the ground beneath him had given way, leaving him to fall into an endless abyss of regret and guilt. How had he let this happen? How had he allowed his life to become such a web of lies?”

Mom,” Ivy said suddenly, her voice cold. “You don’t get to play the victim here. You’ve been lying to all of us for years. You’ve been poisoning Dad with your lies, and we’re done with it.”

Ryan stepped closer to Ivy, nodding in agreement.

“You’ve destroyed this family, Mom. And it’s time for the truth to come out.”

Mrs. Rose’s face twisted with fury as she pointed an accusing finger at Jessica. “This is all your fault! You came back and ruined everything! We were fine before you showed up!”Jessica shook her head, her expression calm.

“No, Rose. Your lies ruined everything. Not me.”Before Mrs. Rose could respond, the door to the room opened again, and two police officers entered, their faces stern.” Mrs. Rose Kendrick,” one of them said, stepping forward. “You’re under arrest for attempted murder, conspiracy, and fraud. You have the right to remain silent.”

Mrs. Rose’s eyes widened in horror as the officers moved toward her, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. “No!” she screamed, her voice breaking with panic. “You can’t do this! Kendrick, tell them! Tell them this is a mistake!”

But Kendrick didn’t move. He didn’t say a word. He simply stared at her, his face filled with a mixture of sadness and disgust.

As the officers cuffed Mrs. Rose, she thrashed, trying to break free. “You can’t do this to me! I’m your wife! I’m the mother of your children!”

“You’re not my mother,” Ivy said coldly, her voice echoing through the room. Mrs. Rose’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at Ryan, pleading.

“Ryan, please… you can’t let them take me. I’m your mother.”Ryan’s face hardened his voice void of any emotion. “You stopped being my mother the moment you betrayed all of us.

“With that, the officers led Mrs. Rose out of the room, her sobs echoing down the hallway.

The silence that followed was heavy as if the weight of everything that had just happened was pressing down on them all.

Jessica placed a hand on Kendrick’s arm, her voice soft. “It’s over now, Kendrick.”But Kendrick shook his head, his eyes filled with sorrow.

“No… it’s not over. It’ll never be over.”Just as the words left his lips, the door to the room swung open one last time.

A nurse rushed in, her face pale with urgency.” Mr. Kendrick,” she said breathlessly, her eyes wide with panic. “It’s Iris. Something’s wrong. She’s gone missing.”

The room erupted in chaos, but all Kendrick could do was sit in stunned silence, the weight of his broken family crashing down around him.